Safetip #105: Pay Equal Attention to Both Safety and Health Hazards

This week’s Safetip is about making sure that health hazards get as much attention as safety hazards.

Don’t Overlook Health Hazards

People notice more an event when it is visual and immediate, compared to an event that is not graphic and takes time to develop. For example, if you see someone involved in a traffic accident, it will have a greater impact on you than someone who does not change the engine oil of his car frequently, resulting in engine problems years later.

The same applies to occupational safety and health. Imagine seeing a colleague operate an equipment and suffer a cut on his arm that results in bleeding. The injury produces immediately a very graphic image in your mind that you remember and makes you reflect on safety. Now imagine a colleague who works with dangerous chemicals, and starts experiencing health problems years later because of exposure to the chemicals for years at his workplace. The second case is equally or even more tragic, but it may impact you less because you are not witnessing the slowly-developing health problem, and you may have even lost contact with your colleague if you changed jobs and moved on.

Since safety incidents are more visible and get noticed more, there is a risk that some health hazards may be overlooked because safety hazards get more attention. Therefore, when you perform an assessment to identify workplace hazards, be sure that both safety and health hazards are getting equal attention.

Here are the different categories of health hazards and some examples:

Chemical Hazards:

Exposure to chemicals (e.g. skin, eyes)

Inhalation of chemicals (including fumes, dust, vapors, and gases)

Physical Hazards:

Excessive noise

Extreme temperatures

Sun exposure

Radiation

Magnetic fields

Biological Hazards:

Viruses

Infectious diseases

Bacteria

Molds

Toxic or poisonous plants

Animal materials

Ergonomic Hazards:

Heavy lifting

Work above shoulder height

Repetitive movements

Tasks with significant vibrations

Bad work posture

Psychological Hazards:

Harassment and bullying

Stress

Fatigue

Workplace violence

The list above is one way of categorizing health hazards. You may come across other ways to categorize them, but start with this list to establish visibility over your health hazards so they get the same amount of attention as safety hazards.

About the author

Jean-Grégoire Manoukian is Content Marketing Manager at Enablon. He manages Enablon Insights and the company’s social media activities, and writes about various EHS, Risk and Sustainability topics. He has more than 18 years of professional experience, including many years as a product manager for chemicals management and product stewardship solutions. He also worked in the telecommunications industry as a product marketing manager. Jean-Grégoire has dual French and Canadian citizenship, and likes to stay informed on the latest trends and developments from both sides of the Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @JGM_Enablon

Enablon, a Wolters Kluwer business, is the world’s leading provider of Sustainability, EH&S and Operational Risk Management Software. More than 1,000 global companies and 1 million users rely on Enablon software solutions to manage their environmental and social performance, minimize risks and improve profitability. Enablon offers the most comprehensive platform in the industry, and is consistently recognized as a global leader and visionary.